Not another Oil Thread...

[mrplunkey]

We gotta work on this...
Those companies you named that produce ethanol are international companies and probably all of them have plants in tropical climates such as Brazil. Most all have trucking , rail and sea transportation departments as well.

The problem is that US farmers cannot compete with third world countries simply due to the cost of the work being too expensive.


But I agree , nothing beats cellulose long term

Well, the real danger is that sugar cane-based ethanol from the tropics could provide cheap enough ethanol that it stalls cellulose for a while. Think of it like $1.85 gasoline... it would quell alternative fuel efforts in general for a few more years. And once an initiative gets squashed, it can take decades for capital to return.

Corn is only a short term solution. Cellulose is the end game.

 

[gotmilk]

But that extra sugarcane can be imported....

 

[dullboy]

Sugar cane produces great ethanol -- we just don't have the climate to produce it like more tropical climates can. If the global ethanol war is fought in the short term using sugar cane as the source we're due for an ass-kicking. We'll trade the middle east for the tropics and who knows, maybe we can try to "spread democracy" there too!

The best plan for the US is to drive our existing corn production hard until cellulose technology is ready. If we can pull that off we may be able to bypass sugar cane and compete globally using a source we can actually get our hands-on. Sugar cane, as great as it is, represents a solution that's good enough to beat corn hands-down but not good enough to beat cellulose long term.

dullboy would assume that sugarcane would grow just fine in places like the lower half of mississippi. no?

 

[mrplunkey]

dullboy would assume that sugarcane would grow just fine in places like the lower half of mississippi. no?

Yes -- MS and FL

 

[spongebob]

lol we might be the only 2 ppl on EF who like higher oil prices

count me in, higher profits means bigger bonus, higher wages and all around better benefits for me.

 

[gjohnson5]

Yes -- MS and FL

Louisiana...

 

[mrplunkey]

Louisiana...

Yup -- some grows there too.

I need to double-check, but I don't think sugar cane produces quality animal feed either. We'd have to factor-in the quality and quantity of by-products generated from corn versus sugar cane.

 

[spongebob]

there hasnt been new refineries built because we havent had to, but wait.....it benefits the consumer, like i said, we havent had to. the only time i ever remember going to to the gas pump and it being empty is during hurricane rita, and that had nothing to do with capacity.

you dont have to build a new refinery to increase refining capacity, most refineries have been de-bottle-necking(not sure if three hyphens are needed), retooling existing units, or actually building new units.

no need for a whole new refinery.

 

[Razorguns]

good article. we complain about suv's, but who spends 1 hour going to work everyday?

we funded 9/11. that's the bottom line. thank a hippie.

 

[mountain muscle]

there hasnt been new refineries built because we havent had to, but wait.....it benefits the consumer, like i said, we havent had to. the only time i ever remember going to to the gas pump and it being empty is during hurricane rita, and that had nothing to do with capacity.

you dont have to build a new refinery to increase refining capacity, most refineries have been de-bottle-necking(not sure if three hyphens are needed), retooling existing units, or actually building new units.

no need for a whole new refinery.

Exponentional growth in the demand for oil since 1979, yet we need no new refineries? How about refineries suited for refining sour oil?

You must be a proponent for foreign oil.